Degvekar Jai Vishnu, Gadekar Esha Ulhas, Darshana O, Chand Jagath, Amrish Vadakkeveedu Narayan, Jose Jithin, Priya K, Prabhu Santhosh, Warrier Anish Kumar
Department of Sciences, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, 576104, Karnataka, India.
Department of Civil Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, 576104, Karnataka, India.
Environ Geochem Health. 2025 Aug 19;47(9):397. doi: 10.1007/s10653-025-02665-9.
This study investigates spatial variations in soil quality across five distinct land-use types-forest, roadside, agricultural, industrial, and residential-in the Manipal region of southern India. Ten surface soil samples from each land-use category were analysed for physico-chemical properties, geochemical composition, and environmental magnetic parameters to evaluate soil degradation and identify potential pollution sources. Marked variations were observed in electrical conductivity, pH, and salinity, with industrial and roadside soils exhibiting elevated values indicative of anthropogenic impact. Concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs), including Pb, Cr, Cu, and Zn, were significantly higher in roadside and industrial areas, frequently exceeding recommended safety thresholds. Environmental magnetic measurements, such as low-frequency magnetic susceptibility (χ) and frequency-dependent susceptibility (χ%), effectively differentiated between anthropogenic and pedogenic magnetic inputs. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) highlighted distinct contamination patterns and revealed strong correlations between magnetic parameters and PTE concentrations. Pollution indices-including the Pollution Load Index (PLI), Enrichment Factor (EF), and Contamination Factor (CF)-identified notable contamination in industrial soils (PLI > 1.3). Overall, the findings underscore increasing environmental pressures on soil systems in rapidly urbanizing regions and demonstrate the value of environmental magnetism as a cost-effective, non-destructive tool for early detection and long-term monitoring of soil pollution. These insights can inform sustainable land management strategies and guide policy frameworks aimed at safeguarding soil health and ecological resilience.
本研究调查了印度南部马尼帕尔地区五种不同土地利用类型（森林、路边、农业、工业和住宅）的土壤质量空间差异。对每种土地利用类型的10个表层土壤样本进行了物理化学性质、地球化学组成和环境磁参数分析，以评估土壤退化情况并确定潜在污染源。在电导率、pH值和盐度方面观察到显著差异，工业和路边土壤的值升高，表明存在人为影响。包括铅、铬、铜和锌在内的潜在有毒元素（PTEs）浓度在路边和工业区显著更高，经常超过推荐的安全阈值。环境磁测量，如低频磁化率（χ）和频率依赖性磁化率（χ%），有效地区分了人为和土壤成因的磁输入。主成分分析（PCA）突出了不同的污染模式，并揭示了磁参数与PTEs浓度之间的强相关性。污染指数，包括污染负荷指数（PLI）、富集因子（EF）和污染因子（CF），确定了工业土壤中的显著污染（PLI>1.3）。总体而言，研究结果强调了快速城市化地区土壤系统面临的环境压力不断增加，并证明了环境磁学作为一种经济高效、无损的工具在土壤污染早期检测和长期监测中的价值。这些见解可为可持续土地管理策略提供参考，并指导旨在保护土壤健康和生态恢复力的政策框架。
